Process for the recovery of chicle and similar gum from filter press residue



Sept. 13, 1932.. M. A. GORDON v /PROCSS FOR THE RECOVERY OF CHICLE `ANDr SIMILAR GUM FROM FILTER PRESS RESIDUE Filed Oct. 16, 1931 2 Sheets- Sheet t y a. I EN ECR I' ATTORN EY Sept. 13, 1932. M. A. GORDON PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF GHICLE AND SIMILAR GUM FROM FILTER PRESS RESIDUE Filed oct. 1e, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l passed through YPatented Sept. 13, 1932 ria MARCUS A. GORDON, OF LITTLE NECK,NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO .LLIxdIEfRIGAN CHIUDE COMPANY, 0F LONG 4ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORIORATIONv OF NEW YORK raocnss non THE anoovnRY orcHICLE AND SIMILAR GUM 'FROM riferita rnassf REsInUE .i

Application mea october 16, 1931.' seaiainaisfeaem. f

This application being a continuation in part of my application filed June 13, 1928, Serial No. 284,935 of which the following is a specification: i

In the purification of raw chicle and similar gum, in one process, the melted gum is a filter press containing, in addition to the usual filter screens, aemal terial, such as saw dust, whichfassists in sep; arating foreign matter such as dust, bar fragmentsof leaves, etc., from the gum mass. When the filter press material has been in use for a length of time, advantageously because of its contained foreign matter, and it has been customary to eject the material as waste from the filter press, notwithstanding the fact that the material contains a large proportion of gum, frequently It is the object of the present invention to recover the gum from the filter press residue by a process which'will enable the use of thegum in the manufacture of chewing gum, and hence will not addv to the gum an unpleasant flavor or odor, nor

seriously affect the fibre of the gum.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating an apparatus for use in the process. In the drawings- V Figure 1 is a plan viewshowing certain apparatus, employed in the process.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of certain of the elements shown in Figure 1. i y

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the extraction tank and cage.

Figure 4 is a sectional line 4-4, Figure 3, and

elevation on the tank.

In the process I employan extraction tank A which, infthepresent instance,is mounted on trunnion supports at 1 rocked to discharge' its contents via a spout 2. Each end wall of the tank carries a Ue shaped support 3 for the shaft 4 of an extracting cage indicated generally at B. The cage vcomprises an outer cylindrical screen 5 adjacent inner cylindrical screen 6, the screen-cylinders at one end being received Y upon a ring 7 having a hub 7 X fixed to shaft 4.

' 11 to theiring and it can no longer be used Figure 5 is an end View of the extraction.

so that it may be y `nend closure plate Sis connected tothe ring and to hub 7". The screen-cylinders at the opposite end aremounted upon a flanged ring 9 to Awhich is removably connected a plate 10 secured in position by the screens 5,5 to a hub'` 12 on shaft 4.`

Access to the'nterio'rl of the extraction cage" Y may be obtained in "any suitable manner as by @maville plate-10', or a section ofthe plate may be removable. v,

lShaft 4 carries sprocket 13 Vby a chain 14 from a sprocket 15 on shaft 16.` The shaft 16 is mounted in the boss 17 of a bracket 17Xsecured to the extractionftank. Shaft 16 carries a sprocket 18 connected by chain 19 with a sprocket 2O on a shaft 21 carrying a pulley 22.. If desired,'shaft 21 can be rotated by direct motorl drive.

23 in' frameimember C may enter an aperture inthe extraction ftank to yhold the same againstmovement on the trunnions. It'will be noted the shaft 21 has the, same the'axis of movement ofthe tank.

fore, the tank may be moved on its pour out its `contentswithout aifecting'thechain connections intermediate shaft 4 and shaft 21. i Y

Tank 24 is employed for `holding the sol-g vent, the tank being steam Vjacketed as in 25 Y so that the solvent may be heated in lany -desired temperature. yAl pipe4 26 controlled by valve 27 leads to a branch pipe 28 operatively connected to a pump'29, thepump discharging into a swivel nozzle 31at the upper end of branch pipev 30.

y Nozzle 31 may swing in'an arc and into A detent pin.

Yaxis, as

registerV with an elevatedtank A32, steam` jacketed at 33, the tank having a Valve control discharge outlet 34, leading to a'second tank 35, steam jacketed at 36 and'havinga vvalve control discharge outletr37.

Outlet 37 of tank 35 is in register witha centrifuge 38 `having a discharge outlet 39.

The extraction tank discharges via nozzle 2 into a collection bowl 40, the latter being lconnected by pipe 41 with pump 29. Pipe 41 may be shut oft from thepump by means of a Valve 42. p i

In the operation of the process the extraction cage Bis loaded with filter press residue.

To enable this, moved from the tank and cover plate dethe cage may readily be ren l as by the` application ofsteam, to the jacket fuge 38.VA

'place orit may await vthe vsecond solvent ex'- 25. When the melting is'compietedn valve 42 is closed, valve 27 opened, and pump 29 thrown in opg-eration.` A sulficient quantity of molten wax is then kpumped* in the extrac tion tank, nozzle tank for that purpose. may, as an example, moltenwax. rA- cover may then be placedv on the extraction tank and the steam or other heating medium applied. Y v 3 v The extraction'cage B is then revolved by the means above described', and this rotation of the cage may continue for such a period as to cause the molten wax to thoroughly penetrate the filter residue and dissolve yand absorb the gum containedthereby. j i

For example,the cage may be revolved for two hours'. ,The detent 23 isfthen Withdrawn The extraction tank andthe extraction tank is. tilted so that the solvent with its absorbed gum maybe poured into bowl l40. Valve 27 Ais then closed and valve 42 opened. Nozzle 31 is then swung over into register with. settling tank 32, while pumpV 29 is thrown into operation.. The ma terial from the bowl'isthus pumped into flingv tank 32, the tank having been previously heated by admission of steam to the jacket 33. The materialv is permittedto'stand in thesettling tank L32 for' a period ofV time suflicient to enable Jforeign material whichk may have passed through the screensto settle at the bottom of thev tank, and then the material is run ofi, through nozzle 34 into second settling tank 35. In the meanwhile a fresh supply of the solvent wax is pumped from melting tank Y When the settling in tank Sris completed. it is passed through nozzle 37 into the centri- The centriuging may now take traction treatment of the residue within the cage. In the second treatment the residue within the rotation cage B is subjected to the solventfor an adequate 'length of time, say one hour, the lheat ofthe solvent being maintained as by a steam jacket around the extraction tank A or any other suitable heating means. `When the treatmentlis completed the extraction tank is tilted, the wax with its absorbed gum is poured into the collec'- tion bowl, the pump is operated totransfer the liquid material to the first settling tank 32 and the process continues'to the passage of the liquid material to the centrifuge.V`

In the operation of the centrifuge, the latter is preferably heated Vand the heat maintained. When the speed of the centrifuge is 724 may be that 81 being swung overt-hev be one-third( filled with 24 into the extraction tank.V

e purpose only several hundred R. P. M., enough wax is lrun in to almost fill the bowl, and when the centri-linge has reached its maximum speed, say 60.00 It. I). M., the valve 37X of the'discharge nozzle 37 is completely open and the material is permitted to run freely into thecentrifuge and from thecentrifuge through outlet pipe 39 to containers.

The amount of wax placed in melting tank sufiicient extraction steps. After said steps have been completed,a quantity of oleo stearin is placed in the melting tank, for example, pounds of Oleo vstearin to an initial of 150 pounds filter press residue. The hot fluid oleo stearin 1s pumped into the extraction tank, the cage Yr0- tated for a period, say one hour,.at the end of whichthe oleo stearin withits content ofy gum and carnauba wax or its equivalent is poure into the collection bowl and passed to the centrifuge for treatment in ther samemanner as the initial centrifuging of the wax-base mixture. e

The'flnal step is to rotate ing water for a period of time, say one hour, after which the extraction the liquid poured through a gravity separator, the mixture, wax and gum being collected in containers. f f l e The primary process. is the subjection of the agitated mass of filter press residue, com'- prising chicle and similar gums, filter material, etc. in the presence of' a solvent materialfor the two solvent i the cage in boil-- v tank is tilted and Y able for use as a primary chewing gum constituent. Y

kIn other words, the solvent need Vnot be free from the recovered chicle and thus further treatment with consequent cost isunnecessary. The essential of the process is thus had when the agitated filter press: material is subjected to the hot solvent fory a sufficient Ytime to enable the lattery to takeV up a substantial proportion ofl the chicle or similar.

gum, and the solvent with its absorbed ygum is removed fromvthe extraction tank. The further treatments are Vin the nature of yrefinements.

1 `.Thus I use for recovering the gum from the filter press residue, a substance which V has a property to dissolve the gum' and to rio leave undissclved other ingredients in the res- Y idue from the filter press. While many sub-` stances conld be used for the same purpose Jfrom the" standpoint of solubility, for my a certain kind of material may be used. Since the extracted materials, that is, gum and the solvent material, are'ini tended for re-use in chewing gum, the extractor should be of such a nature which is not injurious to the health when taken through the mouth.

Another point, which ygoverns the choice of such a solvent, is its physical nature and its action on the fibre of the gum. It well known to those skillful in the art that the chewing properties of the gums employed forN the preparation of chewing siderably modified bythe additionof foreign substances. In many cases, such an 'additionchan es the structure of the' gum so profoundly that it becomes unsuitable for chewing purposes. lt'was, therefore, necessary tok investigate a great number of substances, not: only for the purpose of Vserving as an extractor of gum from the filter press residue-, but also from the point of'view of preserving the desirable chewing properties of the gum. It should be mentioned, in this connection, that the preservation of the proper chewing qualities of the mixtureof the extracted gum and solvent material is very important from an economical standpoint, because if, after extractiony of the gum `from the ilter press residue, it would be necessary to free Athe gum from the solvent, the practical value of the process would be considerably diminished. i

This leads to the third requirement which` is necessary for making the properchoice of the solvent material; that is, physical state of such va solvent material. The above solvent material should `be of such a. nature, which, when cold, does not'change the physical state of the gum greatly,`in orderthat with the absorbed gum, it becomes a compound suitable for use, as a primary chewing gum constituent. On the other hand, the above solvent material should, under certain conditions, acquire the state at which .it is easily and ultimately miscible with the lter press residue for the obviousreason to facilitate the extraction of the gum.

To satisfy the first condition, that is, thel j proper physical state fora primary chewing gum ingredient, the solvent material, in question, should be ina solid state at the ordinary temperature. On the vother hand, itis known that the increase in temperature and the liquid state are conditions which favor the solvent action in the majority of cases. In order to satisfy these last twoV conditions, `the solvent vmaterial, for the purpose of extraction of the gum from the filter press residue, should be such which is iiuid when heated and which becomes solid or semi-solid upon cooling.

In selecting the solvent material, which is to remain with the gum and which is to be used as a primary ingredient for making the chewing gum, it should not be forgotten that a chewing gum base is very closely associated with the class known as `,solid colloids, and consequently the material, which is added to the gum, shall not change this colloidal state. l/Vhen studying the possibility of properly satisfying all three principal requirements, which have been mentioned above, that is,

freedom from injurious action on the health,

naubatesandsimilar Y l .as an` example in this connection.

the proper j `absorbed Asubstantially Ving 'o' the fluid Vsimilar .reservation '0f proper @herring quelitessa'nd,

the Proper physical stateatzthe ,giventemfcome fluid whenheatedgand vent I also found that other: substances, belong- ,ing to tlieclass offatty acids i may be suitable for my purpose. Among such substances, oleo stearin, cned) oils, and hard soaps may be mentioned.

Having described i -is as follows :ilar` gum from filter press residue which comprises agitating the .residue in the`r presence of a solid waxy material having a definite characteristic in, that it is substantially innocuous to and chicle, the 'said waxy fluid state,

gum, and restoring the solid form of thr` lcompound ingredients by cooling.

consists in agitating the'flter press residue lin the Apresence of hot fluid carnauba wax or Vv'perature, found ythat organic.substancesV and their salts, ,l

Y so

hydrogenated (hardmy invention, what IA :claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent,

i.l vcapable of mixture with material being in hot -drainingoff said material with its process for recovery of chicle and f similar gums from filter press residue which" of thetwo ingredients of the compound .byV

cooling.

3. `A process for recovery of chicle and simi ilar gums from a mass of woody foreignlmaterial containing them or vone of them,gwhicli'b"f consists in subjecting said mass to agitation in the presence of normally solid solvent material of a definite characteristicin that it is mixture with maintained in fluid condition by heat, drainwith its absorbed gum and restoring the solid form of the compound ingredients by' cooling.

which tated mass of said material, with the gum entrapped thereby, to the presence of a solvent materialwhich is fluid when heated and which becomes solid and restoring the said two substances to solidk condition by cooling, said solvent material innocuous to kand capable of Y. chicle, saidmaterial.. being or semi-solid upon cool-1V ing, maintaining the fluid condition of said vsolvent material during said agitation, draining ofll said material with its absorbedgum,

,115 V process for the recovery of chicle and gums from woody foreign material.v consists inthe subjection of an-agibeing of a definite characteristic in that it is substantially innocuous to chicle and capable of mixture therewith.

t Y, .theyimveja Sei-39 power toward thefnatural :gums l.usedfin Y .the @lievi-11s sum nflistry I l l- Garn-uba enthused .beeswaaasiwei icas 'their' inorganic derivatives (such 4as, cary products); may be given. 

